Doing this one thing will help simplify your life: how to weekly meal plan. To keep evenings running smooth, having a meal plan for the week is a must. When the weekly menu is already planned it makes being asked, “what’s for dinner?”, as soon as you walk through the door (or text while you are still at work) less stressful. It gives me one less thing to think about or have to decide each day. Download my Dinner planning guide to get 20 healthy dinner ideas plus a printable weekly dinner schedule.
How to weekly meal plan and simplify your life:
Keep it simple:
Simple is key when you are starting to learn how to weekly meal plan, or even when you have been doing it for a long time. It’s a great idea to have a list of quick and easy things to make.
Prioritize:
Learn what is important to you and your family when it comes to your weekly meal plan, and then use shortcuts that work for you in your kitchen. This can include having go to easy meals to prepare, leftover nights, theme nights (Meatloaf Monday, Taco Tuesday, etc).
How to weekly meal plan:
1. Survey:
Take a look in your fridge, freezer and pantry. It keeps costs down to know what’s already bought and paid for. Doing a survey of what you have can help keep track of what is going to expire (throwing food away is so frustrating!). Being creative by using ingredients that you already have can be fun. Sometimes you find a new way to make an old recipe that works out even better than the original!
2. Schedules:
Knowing what everyone in the household has going on during the week is helpful when planning meals. If there is an evening that there is a bunch of activities already happening, the meal is going to look different than on nights when everyone is home. It’s nice to sit down on Sunday and connect with everyone in your household and know what is going on. When planning our weekly meals, this step is important to know when it’s going to be a crockpot meal, something that is easy to reheat or something that needs to be ready by a specific time.
3. Make a Plan:
Now we are getting to the good stuff! Sit down and write out what meals to make on each night for the following week. While writing out the meals, simultaneously make the grocery list. Since you have your inventory of what is already in your kitchen (from step 1), making the grocery list will be easy peasy!
4. Prep:
Once you know what’s on the menu for the week, find parts of the meals that can be prepped or cooked ahead. For example- if I am making spaghetti or tacos, I cook the meat ahead of time, then I label it and keep it in the fridge. Doing a couple things like that really save time and make things not as rushed when you have people staring at you wondering where dinner is at!
5. Enjoy!
Having a family meal where everyone is around the table is my favorite. It’s a time to talk about your day, connect and just check in with everyone. Don’t forget to sit back and enjoy it!
To make it even simpler- download my guide to weekly dinner planning here.
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D I S C L A I M E R Anything that I discuss about making any lifestyle changes is from my own experience and/or other clients personal experiences and may not be suited for you. It is strongly recommended that you consult with your health professional before making changes in your own life. By engaging in anything that I talk about, you agree that you do so at your own risk.